Leverage
by PassionSiteMedia
Summary: AU After a year of suffering and devastation, Kagome is back in school and ready to rebuild as the new head of her family.  But when financial troubles and unstable circumstances seem to close in from all sides, she will do what ever it takes to maintain
1. Chapter 1

Leverage

Chapter 1

Kagome Higurashi must have circled this same parking lot for the twentieth time. She'd driven through all the parking lots on W. Tokyo University's extensive campus and hadn't found one spot yet. She'd started her day an hour early, but now she still only had forty-five minutes to scarf down some breakfast and search for her dance class.

She was just about to give up and go to another lot when she saw it; just a few feet away from her, a car had come to life and was backing out. She inched up closer as it pulled out slowly.

"C'mon, go!" She growled, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckle force.

It drove off, but coming up opposite her was a hot, red BMW with eyes for her spot. Instinctively she slammed her foot on the gas and the BMW mirrored her.

"Woop!" Kagome yelped out and jammed her twelve-year-old Toyota into the spot, nearly being rear-ended by the other car. She sighed, satisfied and grabbed her bag.

The BMW was still sitting behind her car when she got out. 'Probably can't admit defeat.' Kagome thought, shaking her head. She didn't want to seem like she was gloating, so she ignored the driver as he got out the car.

"What the hell is your problem?" He called out to her.

She turned around and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry."

It wasn't good enough. He slammed his car door closed and stalked up to her. Kagome rolled her eyes. "Look, man. Don't start now. Just find another spot."

He towered over her and threw off his sunglasses. "Look, sweetie. This is _my_ spot."

Kagome was struck mute. She'd never been this close to a demon in her entire life. He had eyes the colour of the setting sun, silvery white hair that spilled down past his shoulders, and full lips that were pulled into a scowl. He was too good looking to pull off angry.

"Hello? Did you hear me?" He asked, waving a clawed hand in front of her face.

"Yeah…" Kagome responded dumbly.

"This is the graduate student parking lot. You need a pass to park here. No pass, no park." He pointed to the vague tag hanging off his rearview mirror, which was hard to make out through the tinted windows.

Kagome held up her hands in defense. "Okay, sorry, dude. I don't want any trouble."

"Well move that piece of shit, then."

"Hold on! Wait. It took me a long time to get that spot, man."

He rolled his eyes. "And it'll take you a minute to leave it."

"C'mon, don't be like that. Just let me keep the spot. It's a big campus, you'll find another one."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Riight, like you did? Yeah it'll be so _easy_ to steal someone else's spot."

Kagome sighed and started walking again. "Whatever." She didn't have any more time to waste, even if it was with this fine piece of asshole.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

She whipped around and shot him an icy glare. "To class. Unlike you, I don't have time to argue over bullshit."

"Fine! If you don't move it, I'll move it for you!"

"Fine! Have a great time!" She shouted back without turning around.

"Good! Kiss your car goodbye, wench!"

This time Kagome did turn around. How dare his face carry such an elegant smirk! "My lips are already puckered, asshole!" And then she turned her nose up and the situation was forever over to her.

She could hear his growl of frustration and the sound of him starting his car. She let out a little laugh; 'Score one for Kags!'.

His car sped past her at a definitely illegal speed, but slow enough for him to yell out, "Bitch!" from the window and give her a good view of his middle finger. Kagome shrugged her shoulders and kept her victory stroll. The cutest ones just had to be the biggest losers.

Kagome blazed through her over-priced breakfast and first class in no time. She and the other students in Jakotsu's Hip Hop Dance Class had to sit for twenty minutes as he explained the course outline for the semester. She had another two hours to kill, after the class let out.

She gave herself a tour of the campus; learning the buildings where her classes were, and the school's different regions. She spent the better part of the last hour strolling through the beautiful parks. She grabbed a seat beneath a large tree in the largest park not unlike the God Tree at her home, and took a quick power nap.

She dreamt about lights. A thousand pink lights flashing before her, one at a time, following her wherever she went. She was naked, and the lights became hotter and brighter, trapping her in an otherwise black suspension. She wanted to go home, but with every pink sparkling light, her home became more distant, until it disappeared into the black background.

Kagome's eyes drifted open to the sharp jingle playing on her phone. She'd set it up before her nap, to remind her of her next class. Swooping her yellow backpack over shoulder, she headed to the correct building she'd studied in her earlier tour of the campus.

The class was in the building's basement. Kagome shoved apart the double doors. The loud voice of the teacher stopped from down in front, and a set of about three hundred heads turned to look back in Kagome's direction.

"Oh." Kagome peeped to herself. This was certainly unexpected.

There were two teachers standing before the class; one was a short, old, balding man and the other was—the jerk from earlier! Kagome rolled her eyes skyward. Great.

"If you could please take a seat, young lady, perhaps we can continue with our introduction and get out early for the day." The older teacher suggested loudly.

Kagome nodded and her feet carried her down one of the aisles between the rows of seats. The teacher's voice began again. She plopped into a random seat in the middle of the student mass, and, awesomely enough the desk was broken. Not wanting to stand up and interrupt the class any further, Kagome just used her bag as her desk, ready to scribble class details into her notebook.

Seriously, what the fuck was going on? She couldn't understand how she'd managed to walk into this class in the middle of lecture. She had ample time to burn and a 'reminder jingle' at that! Discreetly, she slipped her cell phone out her pocket and compared the alarm time with her schedule.

She groaned under her breath, as the urge to smack herself in the forehead crashed over like a wave. No freaking wonder. She'd mistaken the five and two on the clock and now she was thirty minutes late!

"…you feel it's appropriate to send text messages right after interrupting class. Fascinating." Kagome lifted her gaze away from her phone to her teachers down ahead. Her white haired nemesis was glaring at her with his arms crossed, and the senior professor's face echoed a similar displeasure.

Kagome stuffed her phone back into her pocket and sat up straight. "Sorry.." She mumbled, feeling the three hundred pairs of eyes on her again.

The rest of the class only lasted another ten minutes, and Kagome discarded her attempt at taking notes, since she was lost in it all anyway. When everyone began packing up and standing to leave, she skipped down to the front of the lecture hall.

The two teachers were chatting animatedly together; she had the distinct feeling that _one_ of them was ignoring her pointedly. "Excuse me, Professor Myouga?" She interrupted.

"Ah if it isn't our show-stopper." The jerk greeted her. Kagome kept her eyes on the shorter gentleman.

"Yes? You've come to get your class syllabus?" The elder teacher acknowledged her with a thoughtful look. "Inuyasha, please hand her the course schedule."

This 'Inuyasha' scowled and roughly thrust a double-sided sheet of paper at her. Kagome gave him a once over, before snatching the purposefully crumpled sheet. She turned back to Myouga. "Sir, I just wanted to apologize for coming in late—"

"And sending a text message." Inuyasha interrupted her.

Kagome's eye twitched, but she kept on. "I'm never late, and I don't want this to be the only impression you have of me." She bowed her head.

Myouga smiled and Kagome felt her own tension loosen. "Not to worry, my dear. I'm sure you will do fine in the class…and on the twenty page term paper you'll be working on throughout the semester."

The tension was back up again. "Right.." Kagome replied with an uncertain smile. Myouga continued to stare at her, then said, "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me? Or Ask?"

She shook her head. "No, that's all! My name is Kagome Higurashi by the way."

Myouga nodded. "That's just fine. And this is my assistant teacher Inuyasha," he gestured toward the asshole.

"We've met." Inuyasha interjected curtly. Kagome rolled her eyes at him.

"That's great! Wonderful. Well, I hope you enjoy your brief holiday tomorrow, Ms. Higurashi."

'Holiday?' Kagome had no idea what he was talking about, but she flashed him another cheery smile. "Right! Well, bye! Thank you!"

She'd started walking away from them, and they began talking to each other again. They both gave her the creeps for different reasons. She clearly wasn't out of earshot yet, when she heard Inuyasha say in a not-so-soft whisper, "Nothing but trouble. She tried to whip my ass today over a parking spot."

Yes, they were _definitely the biggest losers_.


	2. Chapter 2

Leverage

**AN: Hey Peeps! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I appreciate the love and feedback. Ok so here's the next chapter of ma' story. I hope y'all enjoy. Please Review and tell me how you feel it's coming along. Peace**

Chapter 2

"Come on Souta! You're slower than Buyo!" Kagome called from the middle of the shrine's massive stone staircase. Her sixteen-year-old brother was sulking all the way at the top. "I'm the one doing all the work!" She scolded.

"How is it that on your one day off from school you feel we should work the hardest?" He groaned back at her.

She rolled her eyes, swept a step and descended to the next one. "Because Grandpa isn't able to do it anymore. Now get your ass in gear and lay those protective charms."

Souta groaned again, but Kagome smirked as she heard him quicken his steps.

A few moments later, her brother called, "Kagome, look!" And she did. Climbing the steps were two people; a tall man with long, black hair and a white haired girl.

"Good morning and welcome." Kagome greeted, bowing her head respectfully. A chill shot down her spine when she looked back up at the pair. "How can I help you?" She asked slowly.

The tall man spoke and offered his hand. "Hello. I'm Onigumo Naraku. Are you Nodoka Higurashi?"

Kagome clutched his hand briefly, her jaw clenching. "She's deceased. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Naraku smiled slightly, but it did nothing to disarm Kagome. She noticed that he and his partner were dressed in expensive black business suits.

"This is my lawyer, Kanna." He gestured to the young girl. "And we're here to speak with the person in charge of this household."

Kagome exchanged a sidelong glance with Souta, who'd moved to her side. "That would be me." She replied firmly.

His eyebrows lifted. "So young to hold such a responsibility!"

Kagome could say the same about this so-called 'lawyer' he'd come with. Kanna couldn't have been any older than Souta, and her silence gave Kagome the creeps. "So what do you need to discuss?" She prodded.

"Kanna!" Naraku snapped and turned and signaled to the girl. Kanna pulled a folder from a black bag that blended in with her suit. Naraku opened the folder for Kagome to see. There was a substantial stack of papers; the top sheet was a map.

"This is our shrine!" Kagome gasped and all but snatched the folder from Naraku's hands. Souta leaned over her shoulder for a look too.

"You see," Naraku began, and Kagome dragged her accusing gaze back to him. "I've bought a significant piece of land around here, that overlaps the majority of this shrine."

The way he said 'this shrine' made Kagome's blood boil. "Well that doesn't matter because this is our—"

"But it _does_ matter." He cut across her. "Because I own the majority of the land here, I'm also entitled to what's left, by law of percentages."

"But this is our home." Souta finally spoke up. "Our family has been here for hundreds of years."

What was supposed to be a lamenting expression graced Naraku's face. "And I'm very sorry about all of this." He reached out to touch Kagome's shoulder, but her glare made him retreat his hand.

"You think you can just come here and tell people you're stealing their home? You must be crazy!" Kagome spat.

Naraku's red eyes seemed to become colder as he surveyed Kagome's furious face. "I truly am sorry. All the information about the purchase is in the folder I gave you." He smirked. "And if you can't manage to come up with one hundred twenty five thousand yen to purchase this land yourself, in six months this will be _my home_."

Souta lurched at him, but Kagome blocked him with her arm. They were pulled out of their staring match when the sound of wood hitting stone approached them. "You demons away! You will not cause harm to this spiritual place!"

Kagome turned to her grandfather who was hobbling down the steps with his walking stick. "Grandpa!" She gasped and walked up to help him. Souta was still facing off with Naraku.

"Away! Away! Evil beasts!" Grandpa yelled, swinging his cane at Naraku and Kanna.

"Grandpa, stop." Kagome pleaded, the folder pushing against his great belly as she strained to keep him from coming down the steps. Somehow, though, Grandpa managed to struggle all the way down to where Naraku was.

Naraku raised his eyebrows and smirked at this pathetic scene. He adjusted his suit blazer. "Young lady, I've placed my contact information in your folder. If you're ever ready to arrange an offer to me, please don't hesitate."

He bowed his head, barked Kanna's name, and they turned to leave. Grandpa was still struggling, swinging his cane, and screaming, when Kagome gently stroked the top of his balding head. "Please Grandpa, calm down. They're gone." She soothed sadly. "They're gone."

* * *

><p>Kagome sat at the edge of her seat, waiting with Souta and Grandpa, as the cheapest lawyer they could find pored over the documents.<p>

"This doesn't look good." He sighed, stacking the papers neatly. "This contract is iron clad."

Kagome's heart dropped into her stomach. Souta sank a little too. Grandpa still looked pissed from earlier.

"But there's gotta be a law against this! You can't just throw a family out of their home!" Souta burst out.

"Those bloodthirsty demons are up to no good!" Grandpa burst next.

The lawyer paused and stared at them, stunned.

"Is there any way we can fight this?" Kagome asked, more composed than her male relatives.

The lawyer sighed again. He'd been doing a lot of that since they came into the office. "You see, the problem is you have no formal documentation claiming your ownership to the land. It's all fair game unless you can pay more than Naraku."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't believe this. How can we afford it? We only have a certain amount of money to survive on! So me and Souta can go to school without working!" Tear welled in her eyes.

"It's ridiculous! The Higurashi shrine has been in our family for nearly five hundred years. Maybe more!" Souta griped.

"That long?" The lawyer asked,. Kagome and Souta nodded. Grandpa had fallen asleep and let out a little snore. "Well if you can prove that your house is really that old, you may be able to have it declared a national historic landmark."

Kagome's heart soared and she looked to see Souta sharing the same excitement on his face. "We have all types of ancient artifacts and stuff!" He cheered.

"We could give them a tour!" Kagome added.

"Well it's not that easy," The lawyer started, already dissolving their glimmer of hope. "And it's no guarantee that the city will accept you."

"That's ok, it will still be worth the try." Kagome countered.

The lawyer sighed again, but smiled. "Good attitude. It's going to cost a lot of money though, probably just as much as the price of the land. You have to fill out an application, and then you have to pay for the city researchers to do a study on your house and your items. I just want you to be prepared for that."

Souta threw his head back, exasperated, and mumbled, "Money, money, money." Kagome pinched him.

She nudged their grandfather awake. They started getting ready to leave, and as she stood up she asked the lawyer, "But you'll help us through this, right Hojo?"

The man blushed, shook her hand and nodded. "Of course. I'll help you out as much as I can."

* * *

><p>"That's it. I'm dropping out and getting a job." Souta declared.<p>

"Souta, if you want me to kick your ass, then just say so up front." Kagome responded, cutting up Grandpa's dinner for him. It wasn't quite as good a their mother's, but it was passable.

"You might have to give up some of that scholarship money, Kags."

"Shut up." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Well we have to do something! Someone in this house has to start putting money toward the historical landmark project!"

"Relax Souta." Kagome sighed, chewing her food. "Try not to worry about it too much. Enjoy what's left of your summer, because _you are going back to school_."

Souta huffed, and sat back in his chair the way a spoiled child would. "I wonder if Mama knew about this Naraku dude. It's so messed up that he's harassing us now, after….you know."

" Just stop talking about it, Souta." Kagome groaned, losing patience.

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty suspicious about that Naraku guy. He's up to something. I mean, it's not exactly a million dollar business venture, buying a shrine in the suburbs." Souta went on as if he hadn't heard her.

Exasperated, Kagome left the table and washed her plate in the sink.

"They want something from this place. Those demons are trying to steal from here, and they must be stopped!"

Kagome shut off the water and turned to look at her grandfather. Souta was staring at him looking perplexed as well. The old man was growing notorious for his incoherent, senile rantings, but what scared Kagome was how close to the truth he might be.


	3. Chapter 3

Leverage

AN: Hey Everybody! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Just started a new job so it took me a little while to get this chunk online. These first few chapters are just the build up for the adventure I plan to take you on! Bear with me! Also please read and enjoy and please let me know what you think about the story! Thanks and Hearts!

Chapter 3

"Ok ladies! I want to see you work those hips!" Jakotsu cheered to the students in his Hip Hop Dance class.

Kagome wiggled her hips in the elaborate combo Jakotsu had instructed them. Dripping with sweat, she and the other girls popped their hips forward, back, side to side, staring at themselves in the wall of mirrors and trying to synchronize.

The music stopped. "No, no, no, no!" Jakotsu shouted, clapping in rhythm with his words. Everyone turned around to see who was unlucky enough to receive Jakotsu's scolding. Kagome was thankful it wasn't her; her focus was elsewhere and she was having trouble keeping in time with the others.

Jakotsu approached the forbidding looking girl with the long, braided ponytail. "No, no, Butch-Baby! You're too stiff! You gotta shake it with feeling!" He said, demonstrating his dramatic movements.

The girl bared her teeth. "Don't call me Butch-Baby! I'm Sango!"

Jakotsu gave her a once over, snapped his fingers and said, "Honey, with a stance like that, I was gonna call you Bob." Some of the girls laughed, but Jakotsu silenced them.

"Look, Butch. I want you to feel that gorgeous body and make the dance your own. Here—let me show you." He gripped her hips on either side.

Kagome saw Sango stiffen and swing her arm around. Jakotsu didn't stand a chance. He practically flipped over and landed on his back.

Kagome covered her mouth with a fist to keep her giggles from becoming audible. Sango crossed her arms and frowned down at him. He struggled to his feet and let out a deep breath.

"Was that better?" She sneered.

The red mark on his cheek was going to darken into an ugly bruise, Kagome was sure, but Jakotsu still managed to give Sango an elegant smile and said, "Butch-Baby, you've got a lot to learn."

The class ended right after that. Kagome watched a red-faced Sango sloppily throw her things into a duffle bag. She was muttering curses to herself and was the first to storm out the studio. Kagome mused for two seconds. She wanted to talk to the teacher and make herself known, but she had to catch up with her old friend first.

"Wait!" She called out.

The girl with the longer ponytail turned around, "What?" she snapped, but all Sango's rage melted away when she saw who was catching up to her.

"K-Kagome?" Sango stuttered disbelievingly. As Kagome approached, she was frozen in place.

"It's good to see you, Sango!"

"Kagome, what are you doing here?" Sango practically yelled, grabbing the shorter girl into a suffocating embrace once she was in arms reach. Sango's happiness and relief immediately turned to anger when she released Kagome. She pinched Kagome's arm hard. "Why didn't you tell me you were back in Japan?"

Kagome's smile melted into a somber expression. "I have a little time before my next class. Why don't we grab some lunch and catch up?"

Sango noticed the change in her friend's demeanor, but didn't press. She smiled. "C'mon I know a great place we can go to on campus."

Ten minutes later the two young women were sitting across from each other at an expensive café in the South Campus. Sango Taijiya was the wealthy daughter of a large security and defense training company, simply named Taijiya Incorporated. Like her ancestors, Sango specialized in various martial arts styles, but her embarrassed mother had forced her partake in the more graceful art of dance.

"And that's why I registered late in your class." Sango concluded her little story. She took a sip of her iced coffee.

Kagome forked over her tiny-proportioned meal. "But it is so like you to take Hip Hop dancing instead of ballet." She said good-naturedly.

Sango stuck her tongue out. "Please! Mom should feel lucky; I was about to take Capoeira." She then leaned forward in her seat and peered at Kagome shrewdly. "So tell me, now that we're all fed and reunited, what's been going on with you? When did you come back to Japan, Kagome?"

Kagome tensed and let out a nervous laugh. "Uh..yeah… I've been back home for a while, haven't I?"

Sango gave her a deadpanned look.

Kagome's eyes lowered. "Sango, my mother died."

For a second, Sango felt like she'd been punched in her gut. She grabbed hold of Kagome's hand across the small table. "No, Kagome! Oh no, I am so sorry!"

Kagome nodded, her eyes starting to mist over. "It was all so sudden. I was in New York at the Dance Academy, and then I got the call from Grandpa and Souta. Mama never even seemed sick…"

Sango gave Kagome's hand a squeeze.

"Over the past year, we had to watch her waste away. It didn't make any sense." Kagome looked into Sango's eyes. "Things are hard, Sango. They're really hard."

Sango squeezed Kagome's arm again. Tears fell from her eyes. "But you know that I'm here with you! Oh Kagome, I wish I had known!" Sango stood up, came around the table and hugged Kagome in her chair.

It took a few light sobs and deep breaths for the two tearful friends to collect themselves. "How's everyone else?" Sango asked, once her voice was steady.

"They're good. Souta and Grandpa are coming along."

"I'm coming over to the house soon." Sango half-warned, half-threatened Kagome. Kagome felt like she could slap herself for forgetting she had a friend like Sango. She was about to go into the details about the house and Naraku when the news blaring on the TV on the café wall distracted her. She looked at the time beneath the headline about some guy named Sesshoumaru, and realized how much time had passed.

"I have to go!" Kagome exclaimed, shooting out of her seat.

She'd startled Sango. "What? To class?"

Kagome nodded "Something like that." They embraced and Kagome packed up her bag. She scribbled her number on a clean napkin. "Call me tonight, Bye!"

Sango waved her friend away and looked over the number Kagome jotted down. It was new.

Kagome sprinted through the campus, toward the library tower. Prof. Myouga's office was on the eighth floor, and she was hoping he hadn't already left for class yet.

She knocked on the door once. There was no answer. She sighed, but then she could have sworn she heard movement inside the room. She knocked again, and there was still no answer. She twisted the doorknob, and upon seeing it was unlocked she pushed it. Just as she did that, the door swung open. She would have lost her balance, if her nose hadn't collided with something hard…and warm.

Inuyasha's chest. Her gaze traveled up to those sunset coloured eyes. Inuyasha was gazing down at her quizzically. He'd caught her by the shoulders, so that they both wouldn't topple over. "What are you doing?" He asked somewhat accusingly.

Kagome blinked a few times. Inuyasha was still gripping her bare shoulders. "I need to talk to Prof. Myouga." She said rather forcefully. Inuyasha let her shoulders go.

"He's on his way to class. Like you should be." He smirked. Kagome tried to look around him into the office but he blocked her path. "What the hell do you want, anyway?" He asked her.

Kagome gave him a disgruntled look, then turned her nose up at him. "It is none of your business!"

He loved the scent she was giving off. A mix of sweet spice, like cinnamon and vanilla. "You should watch how you talk to me. I am the assistant teacher, ya know."

"I thought it was teacher's assistant." Kagome shot back.

"Doesn't matter. And I could probably help you with whatever you're going through, so you don't have to bug Myouga's old ass."

Some language for a teacher's assistant, but she didn't have any time to waste. "I can't come into class today." Kagome confessed.

"Damn you really are the worst student ever!"

"Oh shut up!" Kagome grumbled. "I need to make up a class with the Professor, that's why I came here."

Inuyasha laughed at her. "Well it's a good thing you came here. I teach the make up classes." Kagome was flooded with dread. He leaned in close to her, peering at her skeptically. "So what's the matter with you? You don't smell sick."

Kagome gulped unconsciously. He could smell her? Well no wonder, he was a big, bad wolf or something. She noticed something twitch at the top of his head. Ears? Why hadn't she seen those before! Probably because she was cursing him out last time.

"Um…hello? Can you focus for one second? You're making me late for class." Inuyasha touched her bare shoulder again, secretly admiring the soft feel of her skin.

"I have some really big business to take care of at home." Kagome said determinedly, trying to talk through the blush on her cheeks. "Please?" She pasted on a big, cheery smile.

Inuyasha shook his head and smirked. "Fine. Fine!" He threw up his hands. "We meet here, on Sunday, ten AM. Cool?"

Kagome's phony smile slipped. "Aw, Sunday! What?"

"I'm sure you won't be too hungover to meet me." He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

She returned the same glare. Even though she really did not want to get up on a Sunday morning, she was not going to give this punk any more reason to think she was a bad student. "Fine. It won't be a problem at all."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it won't. Now run along little student." He shooed her away.

"You really are a freak, you know that?" She threw over her shoulder.

Inuyasha waited for her to disappear into the elevator, before letting out a deep breath. That was close. He slid back into the office, which was a complete disaster; papers strewn about, desk drawers opened and hanging , books practically turned inside out. Inuyasha had to get this mess cleaned up and to class on time, or else he would be the one giving off the bad impression.

* * *

><p>Kagome slammed her car door closed, wearily slinging her yellow backpack over her shoulder. She'd just finished the first step in applying for historic status at the Office of National and Historic Affairs in Tokyo. Her backpack was, filled with stacks of applications, tax forms, and income statements. A bitch of a headache was forming in her skull, but at least she'd made it through the first step to keeping her family's property away from that Naraku creep.<p>

She started climbing the massive shrine staircase, so damn tired she didn't notice the foreign, grey luxury car parked at the curb.

"Excuse me." A woman's voice called to her.

Kagome rolled her eyes skyward. "The shrine is open." She called back over her shoulder. It wasn't rare for the shrine to have after-work visitors. The only things on Kagome's mind right now were food and sleep.

"I'm not here to pray. I'm here to speak to you."

Ugh. Kagome twirled around on the heel of her foot and jumped up one foot, completely startled. The woman was right behind her! Their noses practically touched. 'She moves fast!' Kagome thought, trying to calm her pounding heart. Then she suddenly realized this well-dressed, red-eyed woman was a demon!

"Another demon!" Kagome bellowed, regretting the words as they fell out her mouth. The woman raised an eyebrow at her, offended but still poised.

Kagome was ashamed. First off, she was not racist, and she should have been more careful insulting a potentially dangerous demon to her face. "Sorry. What can I do for you?" Kagome bowed her head.

The woman brandished a fan at lightning speed and twirled it between her fingers. "I'm a bit of a real estate investor, and I've heard that this piece of land here is up for sale."

All apologetic feelings were dissolved as anger flared through Kagome. "Whatever you heard is a crock of shit! And your kind are not welcome at this place!" She snarled; sounding like her grandfather. Now she was in this woman's face.

"Take it easy! I don't want anything to do with your property."

"Then what the hell are you doing here?"

"I know a lot about the man who is trying to buy your house from you." The woman replied, still playing with the fan. Every time that fan went around, it gave off a little gust of air that made Kagome uneasy.

"Are you going to make your point, or should I leave you here standing on the steps with your fan?"

The woman smiled. "So fiery. You're perfect, girl. And I'm here because I want to help you."

"Thanks but no thanks. I know there would either be a catch or a price for your help. And if you know so much about that Naraku asshole, you're probably just like him." Kagome said, turning to leave.

"There is no price. I'm not offering you a deal or a bargain. I'm giving you the chance to gain your own means to defeat my fath—Naraku." The woman stuttered. Kagome turned to look back at her, suspicious. Kagura continued, "I know you know nothing of me, but the exclusive circle that I'm from allows me access to the most influential people in Japan. I'm extending my advantages to you." She handed Kagome a card. "This may seem confusing, but if you come to this address in the early evening, and I can tell you everything that you need to know."

The woman then swiftly descended the steps, leaving Kagome stunned and staring in her wake. She gained her senses quickly though and screamed, "Don't count on getting a visit from me!" To the woman as she climbed in the expensive vehicle. As it sped off down the street, Kagome crumpled up the card, ready to toss the thing away without reading it. She didn't though. She climbed the last of the steps to the top, and her curiosity overrode her anger. She unballed the small piece of cardboard. It read _Kagura's Parlor_ in slender calligraphy with an address and a phone number printed on the bottom. On the back was a little note written by the demon woman, '_I know you'll come when you're ready. Naraku is a powerful man and you'll need someone like me to help you. The sooner you do, the sooner I can help you change your entire life_!'

The woman didn't seem like the lying type, Kagome admitted to herself. And with a note written so confidently, she had to wonder if the words in it really could be true. Kagome slipped the card in her pocket. She'd only consider that woman if all her other options failed.


End file.
